Concept about Disaster – This book covers the entire syllabus of “Community Health Nursing” prescribed by the Universities of Bangladesh- for Basic and diploma nursing students. We tried to accommodate latest information and topics.
This book is examination friendly setup according to the teachers’ lectures and examination’s questions. At the end of the book previous university questions are given. We hope in touch with the book students’ knowledge will be upgraded and flourished. The unique way of presentation may make your reading of the book a pleasurable experience.
Concept about Disaster
Definition of Disaster:
According to WHO” A serious disruption of the functioning of a community or a society involving widespread human, material, economic or environmental losses and impacts, which exceeds the ability of the affected community or society to cope using its own resources.”
Or,
Another expert committee from WHO defines disaster as-
“Any occurrence that causes damage, economic disruption, loss of human life or deterioration of health and health services on a scale of sufficient to warrant an extraordinary response from outside the affected community or area”.
[Ref: K Park/26/889]
Types of Disaster:
There are mainly two types of disaster-
A. Natural disaster:
A natural disaster is a major adverse event resulting from natural processes of the Earth; examples include floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis, and other geologic processes.
b. Man-made disaster:
A disastrous event caused directly and principally by one or more identifiable deliberate or negligent human actions. Also called a human-made disaster.
| Natural disaster: | Man-made disaster: |
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[Ref: K Park/26/889-901]
Types of disaster occur in Bangladesh:
The government of Bangladesh lists the following major natural disasters to which the country is vulnerable:
1. Floods
2. Cyclones
3. Earthquakes
4. Tornadoes
5. River bank erosion
6. Waterlogging
7. Drought
8. Salinity
9. Storms
10. Landslide And
11. Tsunami
Manmade disasters of Bangladesh:
1. Industrial pollution
2. Fire
3. Epidemic
4. Food- related disasters and
5. Political violence.
(Ref: K Park/26/889-90)
Effects of Disaster:
1) Deaths: Many people are death by an earthquake and many deaths are caused by a tidal wave. Number of immediate deaths following a disaster like flood is not significant.
2) Severe injuries: Severe injuries requiring intensive medical care are overwhelming in a catastrophe like earthquake, moderate in cyclones and very few in flood situation.
3) Risk of infection: is increase in all major disasters.
4) Malnutrition: Food scarcity is a common effect of disasters like flood, tidal bore and droughts causing shortage of food with its consequent adverse effects on nutrition.
5) Major population problem: This effect is inevitable in disasters like flood &droughts.
6) Others:
- Death of animals
- Destructions oh houses, educational institutes
- Damage of crops, stored food, clothing, water supply
- Damage of roads, markets, houses.
- Water population due to over flooding of ponds, tanks and river,
- Animal bit- Tiger, snake, jackal etc.
- Nuisance by dead man and animal and human excreta
[Ref: K Park/26/890]
Disaster Preparedness and Response:
A. Prevention and alleviation of consequence:
1. Forecasting the disaster using modern technology.
2. Ascertaining the risk by periodically enlisting the support of various social groups.
3. Evacuation of people to a nearest safe shelter.
4. Promoting community preparedness by such activities like exercise in first aid, exercise in providing temporary shelter, sanitary exercises including installation and management of safe water supply, use of sanitary latrine, controlled refuse disposal, fly control, vector control, rodent control etc.
5. Improving professional qualities of local health personnel.
B. Immediate emergency care:
1. Whatever be the type of disaster, the local authority is required to set up an emergency committee. The first task of the committee is to inform or instruct the people by using loudspeakers and to mobilize volunteers so as to dispel fear and panic.
2. The first priority following a disaster should be care of the injured. The injured and afflicted victim must be removed to the nearest medical establishment for emergency care. Those requiring specialized surgical care or medical treatment are to be removed by ambulance, motor boats etc to the nearest medical center with good facilities.
C. Management of the aftermath:
1. Environmental sanitation
2. Public health monitoring and prevention of epidemics
3. Vaccination against six major children disease
4. Food and nutrition
D. Rehabilitation & reconstruction:
1. Reconstruction and rehabilitation are time consuming. Nevertheless, planning for reconstruction start immediately after the disaster and it is important to include measures for the reconstruction of the damage area in the national disaster plan
2. Planners should play due attention not only to the erection of new households and public buildings but also to industry, agriculture and all other socioeconomic aspects of reconstruction.
3. Statistical information on the following points is required before the planning and reconstruction
- Number of affected person, there geographical distribution, age group, occupation.
- Damage to water supply and health Centre.
- Number of standard of house destroyed.
- Available manpower, materials, equipment and financial sources
4. The authorities responsible for rehabilitation should establish priorities reconstruct roads and public buildings, execute programmers’ for replacing destroyed housing, exercise economic and technical control of labor and material.
[Ref: K Park/26/891]
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